


The Ones You've Known

by Katherine



Category: The Lion King (2019)
Genre: Gen, Infanticide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-24 00:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20017171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katherine/pseuds/Katherine
Summary: "May I take Nala to the other side of Pride Rock?" Nala had never before heard her mother ask a question so deferentially.Nala listens to the beginning of Scar's time as king.





	The Ones You've Known

"May I take Nala to the other side of Pride Rock?" Nala had never before heard her mother ask a question so deferentially. Mufasa had not been a king who required formality, for all Zazu's stuffiness. Nala wouldn't have ever expected to miss Zazu, but it seemed strange that the bird had not met up with the pride for Scar's speech.

Nala was used to Zazu reminding her as well as Simba it was their bedtime. They had long been allowed to stay up later than the pride's other two cubs, who were younger. It was already later than bedtime, what would be the first night under Scar's reign. Tired, Nala kept herself obediently between her mother's front paws. Sarafina was trembling with some tightly-held emotion, unvoiced.

From around Pride Rock there came a murmur of voices. The pride's familiar ones, sadder now than Nala had heard in her life. A duet mewling from the litter of two, Nala's pride-brothers that she hadn't paid much attention to yet. They were too young to play with out of sight of the lionesses, so much less fun than Simba. Nala's best friend had been a little older still than Nala and often the instigator of adventures.

She had vaguely thought he might spend time with the twins once they were older, since they were males. They would all pretend together they had manes, maybe. Simba got boring on that topic. He used to. He never would about anything, ever again. Nala, struck afresh with the terrible truth that Simba was _dead,_ hunched her shoulders. _Your shoulders are blocking your ears,_ her mother sometimes joked; but they weren't, and Nala kept listening.

Scar was saying something, too low to make out. The cubs' mewls cut off all of a sudden. Some other words from Scar, all muffled. Mingled with the sounds of a lioness's grief came the far too close sharp laugh of hyenas. Then the heavy paw-steps of one of those interlopers, in a different rhythm than any lion, drawing nearer.

"Don't look," Sarafina said, jostling Nala, but it was too late. Nala couldn't seem to make herself look away. Standing very close to them was a hyena, the big one who was their queen. Shenzi. Dangling from her mouth was a limp shape, small, tawny furred.


End file.
